Thursday, April 11, 2013

Book Review: Smart Move by Melanie Jacobson (Whitney Finalist)

It's no secret that I've been a big fan of Melanie Jacobson's work in the past. In fact, I thought both of her Whitney Finalist romances last year were just delightful. They've been largely influential in helping me overcome my prejudice against the genre. I am no longer embarrassed to be seen carrying a romance novel, especially if it's written by Melanie Jacobson.

For fans of Twitterpated, Jacobson tells the story of Sandy, who was the roommate of the protagonist in Twitterpated. Sandy has left Seattle for DC, where she's working to get her nonprofit into a new location. The only problem? The lawyer for the neighborhood in which they hope to relocate is a complete jerk. After weeks of fighting on the phone, they meet face to face, where Sandy learns that he's the guy she met at the bar in Twitterpated, you know-- the one she hasn't stopped thinking about for the last year?

And after that, it's not too surprising what happens. They fight at work while getting cozy and home, and then it becomes difficult to sustain this Matalin-Carville kind of relationship. And then Sandy's crazy mom comes to visit and makes everything crazier. And since it's a romance, you know it all works out in the end.

Some readers have felt that the main drawback to the romance category this year is that the women are flawed while the guys are too perfect, but I didn't get that sense from this story at all. I never was entirely convinced that Jake's work-related motives didn't fall squarely in the gray area. The book was enjoyable for me, but not, three weeks later, particularly memorable.